The Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology made a submission to the Federal Government’s consultation on Safe and responsible AI (artificial intelligence) in Australia. To make AI safer and more responsible, the Australia Institute recommends:

The Australia Institute made a submission to the senate inquiry into greenwashing. 

Stronger public universities are vital to the success of dynamic, innovative economies, and more inclusive labour markets. But decades of fiscal restraint and corporatization have eroded the democratic governance and equitable delivery of public higher education in Australia. There are widespread concerns among both university staff and the broader Australian community regarding many higher education issues: including funding, governance, the insecurity of work in universities, the quality of education, and the affordability of attending university.

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 604 South Australians about advertising at sporting events and in sporting broadcasts. Respondents were told that promoting tobacco products in sport is banned in South Australia and were asked whether they agree or disagree with a policy of extending that ban to prohibit the advertising of other goods and services.

This is the Australia Institute’s response to the Climate Change Authority’s (CCA) Issues Paper Setting tracking and achieving Australia’s emissions reduction targets. We are concerned that both the potential of this review and the quality of advice the CCA provides to government in general are undermined by two fundamental problems:

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their attitude toward the Federal Government providing new work to the consulting firm PwC. The results show that: • Four in five Australians (79%) think that PwC should be banned from receiving new government work, while just 2% think there should not be

The Australian Government has proposed that Australia host the 2026 UN Climate Conference, in “partnership” with Pacific nations.

Sitting politicians receive millions in public funding that support re-election.

After decades of ignoring evidence of overfishing, the Tasmanian Government is finally playing catch-up on the state’s depleted fish stocks, resetting fishery rules in the context of out-of-date legislation and the absence of relevant policies.

The Australia Institute made a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications’ inquiry into the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023. The Australian Government has provided no economic or environmental justification for the proposed Nature Repair Market (NRM). Instead, it has repeatedly referred to, and quoted figures from, a report by consultants PwC

Native bird hunting benefits few South Australians and imposes costs on many. Only 5% have ever shot ducks or quail, and of those people, just 40% intend to do so again. 76% of South Australians support a ban, including 48% who “strongly” support the idea. The economic impact of ending native bird hunting would be

The gigification of care is creating insecure work, undermining gender inequality and damaging workforce sustainability.

The South-east Commonwealth Marine Parks Network is a patchwork of poor protection that provides minimal conservation benefits.

The economic assessment of the Lake Vermont project heavily understates its costs and overstates its benefits. At the USA Environmental Protection Agency’s central social cost of carbon estimate, the cost of the direct emissions alone is $4.1 billion, greater than the estimated royalty revenue – $1.1 billion.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their attitudes towards the Federal Government’s use of external consultants. The results show that: Four in five Australians (79%) agree that the public service should have the skills and capacity to do work currently outsourced to consultants. Three in four Australians (72%) think

The Safeguard Mechanism now requires stronger action to cut pollution from gas projects including full abatement of reservoir emissions.

The Australia Institute made a submission to the consultation on Administrative Review Reform.

The Commonwealth government’s 2023-24 budget reveals a progressive government seeking to help lower paid workers and those struggling to pay bills, support public health care, and pursue investments towards a net zero economy. But it is very much a first step, and leaves much more work to be done to repair past harms done to workers, low-income Australians, public services and infrastructure, and the environment.

The Australia Institute made a submission on the Boggabri coal mine’s latest expansion proposal.

In 2022–23, Australian Federal and state governments provided a total of $11.1 billion worth of spending and tax breaks to assist fossil fuel industries.

The Commonwealth Treasury has released the report of a three-person panel charged with reviewing the structure, governance, and effectiveness of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Treasurer Jim Chalmers accepted in principle all 51 of the panel’s recommendations, ranging from creating a separate board to make decisions on interest rates, to giving the Bank a simpler dual mandate to pursue both price stability and full employment.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their attitudes towards government secrecy and whistleblowing. The survey was developed in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre. The results show that: Three in four (76%) say whistleblowers make Australia a better place. An overwhelming majority of Australians (84%) support stronger legal

The over-use of consultancies has corroded Australian democracy. It hollows out public sector capacity and leads to bad government decisions.

The Draft Harvest Strategy Policy for Wild Fisheries is a significant step towards strengthening fisheries management in Tasmania. However, it does not commit to recover overfished stocks or prevent future overfishing.

Key results The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their attitudes towards the Federal Government’s response to the housing crisis. The results show that: Two in three Australians (68%) disagree that the Federal Government is doing enough to tackle the housing crisis, including 65% of Labor voters, and 83% of

This report provides an overview of workplace and job-related factors found to act as barriers to sustainable and inclusive employment for people in groups likely to experience labour market disadvantage. Key findings are that job quality, working arrangements, inclusivity and opportunity for participation at work all matter for inclusive and sustainable employment, along with individual and external systemic and structural barriers to work.

Job advertisement numbers increased 46% compared to the pre-pandemic average after the mandatory bargaining code was introduced.

New research from the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute has revealed how rises in the minimum wage have almost no impact on inflation and given the collapse in the value of the minimum wage in real terms over the past 2 years, a 7% increase is a necessary recompense for Australia’s lowest

The Australia Institute made a submission to the inquiry into the administration of the referendum into an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

The transition towards a low-carbon future is a pressing issue, and household electrification has emerged as a critical component of Australia’s ongoing shift in energy use. In response, The Australia Institute commissioned a research report to better understand current public sentiment towards home and vehicle electrification via new community research. This report provides a snapshot